Athaulla is a PhD candidate at the Department of Pacific Affairs (DPA) at The Australian National University.

His focus is on international relations, particularly on small island developing states (SIDS), climate change, and international politics and security. He developed a constructivist research agenda for understating the role of SIDS in United Nations climate negotiations. Athaulla’s current research at DPA looks at international politics and construction of climate security in SIDS.

In the past, he has also filled research and policy analyst positions at Climate Response Programme and Policy Innovation Hub of Griffith University, and the Queensland Council of Social Service, and published in policy and academic journals. Athaulla is originally from Maldives, and worked as a diplomat and foreign service officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 16 years. He completed a PhD from the University of Queensland, where he developed an institutionalist framework to understand the relationship between governance, politics and development, using Maldives as a case study.